Mine-car coupling.



0. & C. ANDERSON.

MINE GAR COUPLING. APPLICATION IILED APB.5, 1909.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913 PA TENT ()FFIGE.

OSCAR ANDEKSGN AND CIIARIE Al 3E13Z3Qf, OE BITUI XEN. YEI NSYLVANIA.

, ihwnlinn whic l i-zir I iilzi r i-hral iwlizzllr lmli ll.

. ll l and i. lll'iisv draw-heads which are ihsmhliully alilcv are Pl'OYli'lWl 'lill boxes pling members 8 :mil 9. The innv'c end of ihu memher S is Hl'ulahly mmmteil within the pocket (3. This accomplished by providlllyj mill l'llOllllJPl 8 with elongated slot whirl; i-iigugorl h :1 bolt 11 passing verli trilly ihrmigli lho box of pocket (3. This lmll mm hr 'llulrimi in any Suitable manner, as l'ur in unm, li y having threaded engage- ""lll will; upper Mill 0? the pocket is n m l clk i rind i", \YllQl'O the bolt is married. 01" insvrl'cil from below, ntiiloil Cll l huh; lhisli With the 0% llic hoxos 4 :mil 5 The mu ml H10 memlwr 8 is tapered for- ;iml formal inlo jaw members 12 hrlwvvh \VlllCh jaw members the llunll 21s lmvvn in Fig. 3 to inllii riri l v e11: m'ei'niml' with the comm; nwmher Wlliill is 1111 eye 01' ring 14. 'llii vyu "a: ring; 1+1 iv nmvle Sullivivnfly large m permitlhe jaws? l! and l3 to dip through the ring oilh'er upwardly 0r (lownwmrlly. in he upper sin-raw of lhe jaw 12 is 21 V61- liinl slni ii whirl: rmilains a bar 16 pivoforl Ell ET :1! lhv il'ill (if the $101. To flu forward owl of l'h-z bar is pivnlurl lho upper and 01 5h ('(7ll]llll!;j',] lll l8 which is hung on the Fri-n wi l of (he bar so 11% in swing freely in live nrr :zl plane iz'irnllrl in the loi'iger axis EPl'HliLl' 8 The lower jaw 1- is also prnmlril Yvilh a vm'liril slot 19 in whi -h 1hr lair/9r 0ml of Th0 mnpling pin hm; wring frcrly UrWzliQl lhr rear and it is l ilmi, M'Vluglhg out of vertical p0siwill iimi finvzir lly by the end of the slot 19. Tlm l'urvvnril (ml of the coupling" pin bar 16 ii 1)li')\'l(l(ll \ilh a ring or hz1nd-grip 20 for the mnvmienw of ihe operator in lifting the pin our 01' rngngrnwnl' with the ring 14-. Liim lhr roupling i'nonvher 8 the member 9 prm'i lwl with :1 vvrlirnl slot 20 which is (rig-aged lay :1 hall :71, mpnnted and secured in siihiumihillv the *ZUUC mznmrr as the the motor to start said cars, as the mining laws do not allow the mine owner to use a high voltage of electricity in the mines. The maximum allowed is usually 500 volts only. Another object of these pockets or when the members are fully drawn out as in Figs. 2 and 3. This alinement is accomplished automatically by the large ring contacting with any portionof the member 8, as one side of the ring striking the bottom of the opening between the jaws of the companion member. Such contact would force .both coupling members into their pockets and the sides of the latter would then force the coupling members toward alinement, with each other at least sufliciently to effect engagement between coupling pin and ring 14. After the coupling members have thus been pushed together, in coupling up the cars, there would then remain the slack be- .tween the cars represented by the lengths of the slots lO and 20 and the inside diameter of the ring 14, which would enable a comparatively weak motor to start the cars of a train one by one. After being thus started our improved coupler has substantially the same advantages, as to flexibility, as if a chain were used to connect the pins 11 and 21 and the additional advantage that at sharp curves the'pull from 11 to 21 would not be in a direct line, which would tend to "pull the cars off the track, but the coupler swing on its pivot a connection to prevent derailing, ii yield sufiiciently ditions -in mines.

with its three joints at 11, 21 and 18, would tend to conform somewhat to the curvature of the track; that is (looking at Fig. 2 for instance) thecoupling member 9 Would part of the distance, or untilthe side of the coupler came into contact with the side of the pocket 7. The other member Would yield partly to the same extent and the pin 18 would be free to slide to and pull at one side of the ring 14, thus approximating the result of shifting the pull of the forward car from, say, pin 11 'to one side of the pin 21, or hitching said pin' 11 to the corner of the following car which is at the inside of the curve.

While our improved coupler is not capable of hitghing together the near corners of adjoining cars, which would make an ideal .does in that direction to. prevent derailing under all the ordinarymoir Mine cars are particularly susceptible to derailment on account of inadequate couplers, by reason of the fact that they are usually constructed to dump .men't automatically,

and automatic alinement and engagement ofthe coupling members, is to protect these members, especially in their movements, against interference from chunks of coal or ore dropping on them. When the cars are pushing each other as when traveling down hill or backing up, the usual bumpers (not shown in these drawings) on the cars relieve the coupling members from all strain, in the usual manner. In amine therails of the mine track are usually farther apart than the axles of each individual car and espe= .cially in going down hill thecars tend to swing from side to side owing'to the unevenness of the track, and freedom for such movements is provided by the large ring 14,

thus relieving the coupling members from the leverage that would otherwise be imposed upon. them and which has broken many of the old forms of coupling hereto-.

fore in use. This is the function of the ring when it is held rigid by the members 8 and 9 being forced into their sockets or pockets 6 and 7. Our construction and arran ement of coupling members thus provi cs for side play whether the cars are pulling or pushing, for longitudinal play orstartangular adjustment to enable the ring and pin 18 to engage when the cars are very much out of line, to' cause any kind of endwise contact of the coupling members to;

throw them automatically sufficiently into alinement with each other to' effect engage to shift'the pulling strain from a drawing car to a drawn car on a line lateral to the center line of said drawn car for the purpose stated, to insure the presence of the coupling pin at alltimes and its automatic engagement, etc., and all through a form of construction which is simple and does not involve complicated mechanisms liable to breakage or disarrangement.

Having thus described'our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- -'The combination With a pair of socketmembers, of a coupling-member slidablyengaging each of the socket of saidsocketmembers, said sockets permitt ng increasing .in'g slack, fora great degree of lateral or lateral movement of the coupling-members as the latter move out of said socket-members and decreasing said lateral movement to substantial rigid alinementwith the sockets of the coupling-members by the latters inward movement into its respective socket,

mof jaws on 0119 of said coupling'l'nemworst. a large mug on the other couphngmmnhm' L0 be (n mged by said aws. :1 (011- plmg-pin (m mid jaws arranged to engage Quid Mug and means limiting the outward muvmnent of 0:101]. coupling--member lehltive its .sm-kvt nmmnel'.

In tvvstimony 'whex-Pnf we have hereunto E 1 l 1 t s Ft our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. OSCAR ANDERSON. CHARLES ANDERSON.

Wiincsscs:

I). L. EISENHOWER- R. H. KEssLlm 

